Method of constructing a transportable prefabricated room element

Abstract

A room element for a full-scale or small-scale building has a rigid frame or chassis consisting of a floor panel, composed of prefabricated panel sections rigidly connected in an end-to-end assembly by structural means, and prefabricated vertical load-bearing structures, rigidly connected to the panel adjacent the ends thereof, for supporting superimposed parts (e.g. the roof or ceiling, or a superimposed room element). At least one of the load-supporting structures may be integral with a panel section. The panel sections form the bases of the corresponding regions of the room element and at least one of them is incorporated in a three-dimensional prefabricated room element section, of unit form, which unit comprises such vertical load-bearing or non-load-bearing bearing structures substantially all the installations, required in that part of the completed room element. The unit may be a bathroom unit, staircase unit, heating unit, elevator shaft unit, or kitchen unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of erecting a plural-storey building in which at least two uperimposed storeys comprise transportable prefabricated room elements constructed from room element sections, each room element being a cell-like structure, having two opposed sides and two opposed ends constituting four vertical faces of the cell, and comprising a rigid floor panel structure and a vertical load-bearing structure, of room height, rigidly connected to the floor panel structure adjacent to an end of the floor panel structure, the room elements being prefabricated at a factory remote from the building site by rigidly fixing the load-bearing structure to the floor panel structures, which room elements are subsequently transported from the factory to the building site and there disposed face-to-face in each of the said storeys with the room elements of each upper storey stacked on the room elements of the next lower storey and supported by the load-bearing structure or structures of the latter, the load-bearing structures of superimposed room elements being in vertical register, characterized in that each room element is superimposed by the following steps: (a) prefabricating sections of the room element, each of which room element sections comprises a prefabricated section of the floor panel structure and any vertical load-bearing structure associated with that panel section in the completed room element,   (b) applying to the room element sections substantially all installations, glazing and surface finish associated with each room element section in the completed room element,   (c) assembling the room element sections in end-to-end relationship at the factory remote from the building site, with their floor panel sections in substantially a common plane, and   (d) rigidly connecting the room element sections, in said relationship, at the factory by structural means uniting the room element sections comprising assembled floor panel sections and vertical load-bearing structures into a rigid structural frame of the room element, thereby forming a rigid and substantially complete room element.   
     
     
       2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in step (c), at least one horizontal load-bearing structural member is introduced between, and in substantially the same plane as, the floor panel sections of two successive room element sections and, in step (d), said horizontal member is rigidly connected to the floor panel sections and is thereby incorporated into the structural frame. 
     
     
       3. A method according to claim 2 including the step of introducing a horizontal structural member which is a panel member void of any vertical load-bearing structure. 
     
     
       4. A method of constructing a storey of a building from a plurality of transportable room elements each prefabricated from a plurality of room element sections comprising: (a) prefabricating said sections of transportable room elements, each of which room element sections comprises a section of a floor panel and any vertical load-bearing and non-load-bearing structure associated with that panel section in the completed room element,   (b) applying to the room element sections substantially all installations, glazing, and surface finish associated with each room element section in the completed room element,   (c) assembling said room element sections edge to edge,   (d) rigidly connecting said room element sections by structural means at a location remote from a building site, such means uniting the assembled floor panel sections and vertical load-bearing structures into complete structural units,   (e) transporting the transportable room elements to a building site, and   (f) assembling the transportable room elements face to face to form a storey of a building.   
     
     
       5. A method of constructing a transportable prefabricated room element from a plurality of room element sections comprising: (a) prefabricating said sections of the room element, each of which room element sections comprises a section of a floor panel and any vertical load-bearing and non-load-bearing structure associated with that panel section in the completed room element,   (b) applying to the room element sections substantially all installations, glazing, and surface finish associated with that room element section in the completed room element,   (c) assembling said room element sections edge to edge, and   (d) rigidly connecting said room element sections by structural means, such means uniting the assembled floor panel sections and vertical load-bearing structures into a complete structural frame at a location remote from a building site.   
     
     
       6. A method according to claim 5, including the step of connecting the sections of the floor panel, after edge-to-edge assembly, by post-tensioning means.